English: Kösem Sultan, also known as Mahpeyker Sultan, was Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire as the chief consort and legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, valide sultan as the mother of sultans Murad IV and Ibrahim, and büyük valide sultan as the grandmother of Sultan Mehmed IV. Venetian School, 17th century. Oil on canvas.

Kösem Sultan (circa 1590-1651) was the wife of Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I (r.1603-17) and mother of his successors Sultans Murad IV (r.1623-40) and Ibrahim I (r.1640-48). She was a central character of the Sultanate of Women, a century-long period during which female figures in the Ottoman court exerted a considerable influence on political affairs (Pierce 1993, p.105). Kidnapped and sold as a slave in her childhood, Kösem Sultan later joined the Imperial Harem in Constantinople, where she received a thorough education and converted to Islam. Sultan Ahmed I, charmed by her intelligence and beauty, soon made her his favourite, then his haseki, or legal wife. She had a striking influence over her husband, often criticised and condemned as witchcraft, and her ambitious intrigues successfully made her one of the most powerful women in Ottoman history (David 1970, pp.227-8).

Kösem Sultan was involved in both internal and international state affairs. Reportedly acting as a trusted advisor to Ahmed I, she is much known for having abolished the practice of royal fratricide, anticipating her sons’ protection years before they were considered for the throne. She was instrumental in bringing them to power, while maintaining herself in central advisory positions, whether officially or informally. However, during a period of political unrest in the palace, her rivalry with her grandson’s new wife led to her brutal assassination. Despite many controversies, she was known and appreciated for her charitable projects, interpreted by her subjects as a display of genuine concern from the Ottoman dynasty. Her strangulation at the hand of assassins provoked intense riots which ultimately turned into a national political crisis (Pierce 1993, p.252).

The facial features of this portrait resemble closely two paintings of Kösem Sultan believed to have been commissioned by the Austrian ambassador in Istanbul Hans Ludwig von Kuefstein, one of which was sold at Christie’s, 4 October 2012, lot 253. In the present portrait, Kösem Sultan is depicted wearing a luxurious fur and silky garment embossed with golden threads, pearls and gemstones. Standing out in the painting is her necklace, from which hangs an ornament resembling a Sultan’s seal. These symbolic tokens were untrusted to the Grand Vizier only, as a means to secure their written exchanges with the Sultan and seal the documentation discussed during the Imperial Council. This portrait of Kösem bearing the imperial seal is a deliberate reference to her unquestionable authority and influence over the Sultan and Grand Vizier.